Pressing iron

This application claims priority of Chinese patent Application No. 200510042444.2, filed on Jan. 31, 2005.

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a pressing iron, more particularly to a pressing iron with a heat-dissipating assembly to accelerate cooling of a soleplate of the iron after the iron is turned off.

2. Description of the Related Art

A conventional electric pressing iron generally includes a soleplate mounted on a bottom portion of a shell, and a heating device and a steam generating device disposed within the shell to heat the soleplate and generate steam for ironing purposes. However, the conventional pressing iron lacks means for rapidly dissipating heat off the soleplate after the iron is turned off. In general, the conventional pressing iron is supported by a heel rest in a vertical resting position to cool off, which usually takes a long time. The residual heat in the soleplate would take time to dissipate and a user could be burned before the soleplate has cooled sufficiently.

The object of the present invention is to provide a pressing iron which can rapidly dissipate residual heat in a soleplate after the iron is turned off.

According to this invention, the pressing iron includes a soleplate which has upwardly and downwardly facing major surfaces opposite to each other in an upright direction. A shell includes a peripheral wall which extends from a periphery of the soleplate in the upright direction, which terminates at an upper peripheral edge, and which defines an air passageway that extends in a first direction transverse to the upright direction. The peripheral wall is formed with a vent port disposed downstream of the air passageway. A ventilation facilitating mechanism is disposed upstream of the vent port to increase flow of air through the air passageway and out of the vent port so as to accelerate a cooling process of the flowing air that carries residual heat away from the soleplate after the pressing iron is turned off.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of a pressing iron according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the preferred embodiment;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the preferred embodiment; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the preferred embodiment.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4 , the preferred embodiment of a pressing iron according to the present invention is shown to comprise a soleplate 1 , a shell 2 , and a heat-dissipating assembly.

The soleplate 1 has a periphery 11 surrounding a centerline normal to the soleplate 1 , upwardly and downwardly facing major surfaces 111 , 112 opposite to each other in an upright direction parallel to the centerline, a confining wall 12 extending upwardly in an upright direction from the upwardly facing major surface 111 , a partition wall 13 which extends in the upright direction from the upwardly facing major surface 111 and which interconnects two flanking segments 121 of the confining wall 12 to cooperatively define on the soleplate 1 a front steam-forming region 14 and a rear heat-dissipating region 15 opposite to each other in a first direction, i.e. a longitudinal direction transverse to the upright direction, and a heating element (not shown) disposed at the front steam-forming region 14 to heat the sole plate 1 and to generate steam. A cover plate 16 is mounted on the soleplate 1 to cover the front steam-forming region 14 . Moreover, the partition wall 13 includes two flanking wall segments 131 connected respectively to the flanking segments 121 of the confining wall 12 , and a middle wall segment 132 interposed between the flanking wall segments 131 so as to form a front narrow area 151 in the rear heat-dissipating region 15 . The front steam-forming region 14 has a plurality of steam vents 141 which extend through the downwardly facing major surface 112 for downward ejection of the steam.

The shell 2 includes a peripheral wall 21 which extends from the periphery 11 of the soleplate 1 in the upright direction and which terminates at an upper peripheral edge that surrounds the centerline, a handle mounting wall 27 which extends from the upper peripheral edge towards the centerline, and which confronts and which cooperates with the upwardly facing major surface 111 to define an air passageway 22 that extends in the longitudinal direction, and a handle 25 which is mounted on and cooperates with the handle mounting wall 27 to define a grip hole 24 . The peripheral wall 21 has a wind shield 26 which is detachably mounted on a rear portion thereof, and which is formed with an intake port in the form of a plurality of intake holes 261 disposed upstream of the air passageway 22 . The wind shield 26 may also be formed integrally with the rear portion of the peripheral wall 21 . A mounting frame 23 extends in the upright direction, and is interposed between the handle mounting wall 27 and the upwardly facing major surface 111 to divide the air passageway 22 into front and rear ventilation regions 221 , 222 . The mounting frame 23 has a hole 231 communicating the front and rear ventilation regions 221 , 222 . Moreover, the peripheral wall 21 has a vent port in the form of a plurality of vent holes 211 surrounding the front steam-forming region 14 and disposed downstream of the front ventilation region 221 of the air passageway 22 .

The heat dissipating assembly includes a plurality of heat dissipating fins 17 which are mounted on and which extend from the rear heat-dissipating region 15 in the upright direction, and which are displaced from one another in a second direction transverse to both the upright direction and the longitudinal direction. Each of the fins 17 have front and rear ends opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction, and increases in height from the front end to the rear end. The rear ends of the fins 17 are flush with one another. Furthermore, the middle ones of the fins 17 are longer in the longitudinal direction than the flanking ones of the fins 17 .

The heat dissipating assembly further includes a ventilation facilitating mechanism which is disposed downstream of the intake holes 261 and upstream of the fins 17 . The ventilation facilitating mechanism includes a plurality of holes which are formed in the peripheral wall 21 and which are aligned with the intake holes 261 , respectively, and a fan 3 which is secured on the mounting frame 23 by means of screw fasteners 30 and which confronts the intake holes 261 . Therefore, when the fan 3 is actuated after the pressing iron is turned off, the flow rate of air drawn into the air passageway 22 from the intake holes 261 and out of the vent holes 211 can be increased so as to accelerate a cooling process of the flowing air that carries residual heat away from the soleplate 1 . Thus, the residual heat of the soleplate 1 can be dissipated quickly so as to protect the user and others against damage and injury when the pressing iron is placed in a vertical resting position.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretations and equivalent arrangements.